Jump To:

• look-over
  look-over

  noun

  a brief or superficial examination or reading.
• look over
  look over

  verb

  (intr, preposition) to inspect by making a tour of (a factory, house, etc)

look-over

American  

[look-oh-ver] / ˈlɒɒkˌoʊ vər /

noun

1. a brief or superficial examination or reading.

---

look over British  

verb

1. (intr, preposition) to inspect by making a tour of (a factory, house, etc)

   we looked over the country house

2. (tr, adverb) to examine (a document, letter, etc)

   please look the papers over quickly

---

noun

1. an inspection: often, specifically, a brief or cursory one

look over Idioms  

1. Also, look up and down. Examine or inspect something or someone. For example, Jerry was looking over the books when he found an error, or They looked the new boy up and down. The first expression dates from the mid-1400s, the variant from the late 1800s.

---

Etymology

Origin of look-over

First recorded in 1905–10; noun use of verb phrase look over

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

look-over look over

“We have probably 160 lawyers” giving the film a look-over, said Sheila Nevins, HBO’s documentary film president, in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 28, 2014

The town houses of Georgetown and Cleveland Park are getting a look-over, says Robinson, although many frugal Democrats may end up settling in the less pricey suburbs of Maryland and Virginia.

From Time Magazine Archive

Then I passed up the can o' paint, an' took a stroll around to see that no one had been givin' us the look-over.

From Happy Hawkins by Robert Alexander Wason

"So you are Shorty McCabe, are you?" says she, givin' me a customs inspector look-over, and kind of sniffin'.

From Shorty McCabe by F. Vaux (Francis Vaux) Wilson

The preliminary look-over by lantern light had been all sufficient.

From A Daughter of the Sioux A Tale of the Indian frontier by Edwin Willard Deming

I send questions, ask for prescription refills, and am able to look over all my test results quickly and conveniently.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026

"But if you look over the course of the season, Mercedes has always been up there, so I do not doubt that they'll all be in the fight as well."

From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026

Offer to look over and send out her résumé.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 25, 2026

So I went out, and he put me on this box, and I could look over the top of the hedge, and there was Eisenhower.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 12, 2026

I look over at the group of students hanging out and talking.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Related Words

• audit
• check
• check out
• consider
• criticize
• delve into
• explore
• inspect
• investigate
• ponder
• pore over
• probe
• read
• research
• review
• scan
• screen
• scrutinize
• study
• survey